“Nobody sees a flower really, it is so small, we haven’t time, and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time.” — Georgia O’Keeffe

Georgia O’Keeffe painted flowers so large they filled the entire canvas, she said she wanted to make them big enough that even busy people would stop and look. She wasn’t just painting a flower, she was asking us to slow down long enough to really appreciate the beauty of it.

Most of us know how hard that can be. We’ve heard “stop and smell the roses” so many times it almost sounds like a cliché. Yet how often do we actually do it? We literally walk past the flowers outside our door, glance at the sunset on our way to the next thing, and tell ourselves we’ll really enjoy it another time, when we have more time.

I understand that feeling well. Even when I know how much I need to slow down, it doesn’t always come easily. There’s always one more thing on the list, one more place to be, and somehow beauty, enjoyment, connection, ends up waiting until everything else is done.

What I love about this quote is how gently it reminds us that seeing takes time, slowing down takes time, and learning to notice takes time, and that’s okay. A flower doesn’t ask us to understand it, or see the depth of its beauty in a single glance. It simply waits, and the longer we look, the more it shows us: the curve of a petal, the way the color deepens toward the center, the tiny details we would have missed if we’d hurried by.

O’Keeffe compared seeing to friendship, and I think that’s beautiful. The people who matter most to us are the ones we’ve given our time to, through many conversations, shared moments, and the simple act of showing up. Creativity works the same way, it reveals itself to those who are willing to stay a little longer.

I believe that as artists and creatives, part of our purpose is to bring more beauty and inspiration into the world, but beauty only does its work when we make room to receive it. A painting, a garden, a piece of jewelry you select for your day, or a flower on the windowsill can each be a small invitation to pause and feel something.

So this week, maybe we can each give ourselves the gift of really seeing something. Linger over the morning coffee, watch the light change across the sky, look closely at a flower, a shell, or a piece of art you love. Call a friend just to talk, with nowhere else to be.

What’s something beautiful you’ve been too busy to notice lately? Maybe this is the week it gets your full attention.

Happy Monday!